Bhutan is awe inspiring from the moment you start flying over the Himalayas and land into a breathtaking valley. Bhutan is the “Land of the Thunder Dragon” and is as magical as it gets. A country where a handsome young Asian Elvis look-a-like became King, cigarettes are illegal, chillies are a staple, rice is red and protective erotic art is painted on houses, schools and temple walls. A land that treasures Gross National Happiness more than Gross National Product. It is a small nation of about 750,000 people in the Eastern Himalayas, nestled between Tibet, China and India. It has a unique government which has intentionally kept itself isolated from modernity. Bhutan extraordinary Buddhist sites and undisturbed traditional culture makes it the last remaining great Himalayan kingdom.

During this workshop, you’ll visit some very special places. One of our local guides was commissioned to paint multiple private monasteries on the Eastern side of Bhutan. We are privileged to have access to these monasteries, enabling us to photograph the monks’ early morning rituals, typically not accessible to tourists. We are also going to be able to experience the complete life inside a monastery, when we overnight there.

We start our journey in Eastern Bhutan and will drive to Western Bhutan. This is again a special itinerary seldom offered. With this in mind, we’ll be able to minimize the driving time, spend more time at each place, discover the local culture and create rarely seen images.

The visit to Bhutan is at a prime time of the year, when farmers are harvesting and villages celebrating. This is once again not the traditional “grand show festival in bigger towns” (mostly attended by tourists). You’ll get an insight of local culture and traditions.

This adventure is designed not only to guide you to the most photogenic locations carefully planned for the best light, but also to aid you in mentally visualizing a scene before capturing the decisive moment. Our aim is to raise your awareness and spark your creativity so that you not only go home with images to be proud of, but use your new found skills to improve and expand your photographic technique in general. You will learn how to turn an ordinary image into an extraordinary image by using your own creativity.

We cannot think of a better location to express your creativity than the exotic Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, to photograph local people with genuine smiles and happiness, and to capture images that will exhume a personal style.